I’ve written in previous posts about places I was looking forward to returning to. Moab is one of those places. Even though I did not stay in Moab last year, in my excursions to Canyon Lands and Arches, I passed through several times. I was drawn to the energy that this town exudes. This time of year, and maybe all year, Moab defines spring fever. It’s a town crazed by outdoor activities. There are three banks and fifteen bike shops. Now that’s my kind of town. So on this year’s trip I planned a week here and booked myself a spot in an RV park on the north side of town. Last year was all about the parks, this year I came to bike and just hang in Moab.

There are some distinct groups of crazies in Moab. In addition to the National Parks, the area is rich with public lands. Access to terrain that dirt bikers and ATVers love, draws them from far and wide. For those of us who prefer our bikes human powered, the area around Moab has lots of trails. While I personally do not like to bike down trails where shin guards are appropriate, the vast majority of cyclists I would say are here for the mountain bike trails. There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t see someone riding with blood on their legs or their arms, or both. While I embrace a long ride, and the occasional tough climb, that kind of biking is not my cup of tea. And my bike is not built for that. I like to come back from a good ride with all of my blood.

The last group of crazies in evidence are the Jeepers. Or Jeepsters, I don’t know. People who own Jeeps and actually take them off the pavement. Moab has a huge Jeep club and every year for the last fifty they have held the Easter Jeep Safari. People come to this event from all over the country, most of them trailering their Jeeps. Again, the terrain’s the thing. They go in groups on these daylong safari trips that seem to be social club, meets big toys, meets backcountry. They spend the day trying to get their Jeeps as dirty as possible and at the end of the day they all line up at the car wash bays and have drinks and try to get their Jeeps as clean as possible. The car washes seem to be an important social part of this whole thing, and I can just imagine the descriptions of wheelies and trail teetering that goes on. I’m guessing it’s the Jeepster version of fish stories. The variety of Jeeps and the ways they are painted, customized, and outfitted defies a sufficient narrative.

These are the people I’ve been hangin’ with for the past week and it’s been uniquely enjoyable. People from all of these groups have been camped together here, and the chats and the people watching have been so much fun.

This was a part of the trip plan that did not disappoint.